I think the Long Way Round series has done more damage to the activity of off-road riding than any other movie/show ever released. If one really watches them with a critical and experienced eye, one can see that the manic duo picked the wrong bike for the job and suffered the consequences of that mistake through just about every sequence in the shows. They again repeated the mistake the second time in LWD as well.

But all the n00bs who watch it flocked to the BMW dealers and paged through the Touratech wish books for ages dreaming of riding these supertankers around the world. Most never get them off a paved road, much less onto real "off" road situations where they do so poorly. But a few do and suffer the consequences of riding an obese street bike in a dirtbike costume on real offroad terrain.

A skilled rider can pilot anything and these bikes do come with slightly longer travel suspensions and a few other minimalist equipment that will help them do the impossible if the rider has what it takes to magically float these beasts over rough terrain -at least better than a standard road bike without any ground clearance or longer suspension travel.

I have to laugh at the guys from KTM who royally SCREWED themselves by not giving these two guys a more capable (yet still too massive) set of bikes and securing themselves a huge marketing coup. That guy in LWR who stiffed the manic/depressive dou their pair of bikes probably lost his company millions of dollars in future sales. his mistake was EPIC, and not only cost his company, but I feel cost us all in steering the activity the wrong way round.

Spilt milk I guess.. :cry /snivel

snarf

10-06-2009 09:48 AM

wat

Disco Stu

10-06-2009 09:56 AM

how long are you going to worry about this? wasn't their first trip like 5 years ago?

HammerMacGreed

10-06-2009 10:19 AM

I have to laugh at the guys from KTM who royally SCREWED themselves by not giving these two guys a more capable (yet still too massive) set of bikes and securing themselves a huge marketing coup. That guy in LWR who stiffed the manic/depressive dou their pair of bikes probably lost his company millions of dollars in future sales. his mistake was EPIC, and not only cost his company, but I feel cost us all in steering the activity the wrong way round.

Spilt milk I guess.. :cry /snivel[/quote]

Kinda like the guy at M&Ms who thought E.T. would scare kids and told the producers NO. I'm hazarding a guess Reese's was glad of that execs shortsightedness...

ikonoklass

10-06-2009 10:20 AM

KTMs would have been better tools for the job, during the limited times in which they weren't broken down.

DAKEZ

10-06-2009 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ikonoklass

KTMs would have been better tools for the job, during the limited times in which they weren't broken down.

:nod
It would not have helped KTM when their bikes kept braking down and their engines grenaded in the middle of the movie.

I think the guy from KTM is a genius and saved them from a load of bad publicity. :lol3

Blinkerfluid

10-06-2009 11:03 AM

Quote:

It would not have helped KTM when their bikes kept braking down and their engines grenaded in the middle of the movie.

I think the guy from KTM is a genius and saved them from a load of bad publicity.

Haha not like the ultra reliable BMW's that didn't have any problems.. Well other than the numerous frame breaks.. oh and that time they welded the frames and the brakes quit working :huh And there were all those blown shocks.

I have never been able to watch the show more than a couple of episodes. Friends I have are doing far more interesting and courageous adventure travel without the support this two "actors" have. It is not the bikes, but the nature and concept behind the show that is self defeating, IMHO. I wish they had gone KTM and let GS be without them.

Reprobate

10-06-2009 11:18 AM

I don't understand your rant. Is it a rant? :scratch

Chuck289

10-06-2009 11:31 AM

It's TV. It's entertainment. Thats all it is. I enjoyed it. Its better than other garbage I could've watched (mtv,vh1 etc). I didn't watch it as a How-to video.
If people want to flock to the BMW dealers and buy everything Touratech, thats fine. Blame them for not educating themselves, not a TV show. That's like blaming McDonalds for making people fat.

Motzilla

10-06-2009 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck289

It's TV. It's entertainment. Thats all it is. I enjoyed it. Its better than other garbage I could've watched (mtv,vh1 etc). I didn't watch it as a How-to video.
If people want to flock to the BMW dealers and buy everything Touratech, thats fine. Blame them for not educating themselves, not a TV show. That's like blaming McDonalds for making people fat.

Agree. Still, it could have been a better show. Helps me fall asleep though.

bomber60015

10-06-2009 11:43 AM

it was about motorcycles (OK, it was about the two guys, but bikes were heavily featured) --

It wasn't some faux chopper deal.

It wasn't Sons of Aracnids (or whatever the name is)

The riders were nice guys -

I fail to see how this could be damaging, unless, of course, you're one of the guys that got yer shorts in a twist when the Motorcyclist columnist slagged guys with ADV stickers - in which case, I see your point, no more guys having fun on bikes unless they are fixing their tubes with their teeth 1/3 of the way into the Darien Gap.

Gummee!

10-06-2009 11:43 AM

Screw the nitpicking! Watch where they're riding and enjoy the scenery, people, etc.

No, I don't want any berled nuts! :puke1

M

Gummee!

10-06-2009 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomber60015

I fail to see how this could be damaging, unless, of course, you're one of the guys that got yer shorts in a twist when the Motorcyclist columnist slagged guys with ADV stickers - in which case, I see your point, no more guys having fun on bikes unless they are fixing their tubes with their teeth 1/3 of the way into the Darien Gap.